manic

The motion picture Manic, directed by Jordan Melamed, is a unique story about the uncontrollable rage that everyone has inside of them, and finding a way to find something meaningful to try and control it. The story takes place in a psychiatric ward for juveniles who have had a very unstable and abusive childhood. Most of the characters are manic depressive, have anger management issues, and are unable to control their emotions. They are powerless over their own actions as a result from their extreme emotions. The kids desperately need meaning in their lives; they need a sense of belonging. The problems that these characters have to face are real issues to many kids in our society; there is nothing fake about this movie. Manic exposes how difficult it is for people that are products of abuse to overcome their demons when they are so powerless over their own lives.

The root of this problem that our society has to deal with begins in the home where the parents abuse their power over their kids. Often times, the parents are also products of abuse from their own childhood, and recreate that environment for their own kids. When kids are put through an unstable and abusive childhood, they grow up feeling meaningless and empty. Parents are supposed to raise their kids with meaning, love, a sense of belonging, and with discipline. This is the power that parents have, which is a struggle to use it right, but abusing children mentally or physically scars them for life. This abuse does a great deal of psychological damage to the individual. Manic portrays the behavior of these kids very well. Some examples of these behaviors include cutting, self mutilation, fighting, suicidal actions, acting out sexually, and uncontrollable crying. These kids feel that they have done something wrong in their lives, when in fact they have done nothing wrong at all. They are simply victims of the circumstance and products of the environment they grew up in. They have no power over themselves and their emotions.

Something I noticed from this film is that kids that are in these situations of depression are often judged or are victims of prejudice and pre-suppositions by other kids. Kids who suffer from depression often exclude themselves from many activities, and usually avoid any type of healthy social interaction. Things that many take advantage of, like simply having a personal conversation with someone, are difficult for someone that is depressed. Because of this, they seem “different” from everyone else, and other kids make fun, which only makes things worse for them. I feel bad for the kids in the movie, and in real life. They don’t deserve to go through any of the hardships they have to be victims of.

Max Weber agrees that domination in the general sense of power is the possibility of imposing one’s own will upon the behavior of another person. This can emerge in the most diverse of forms. Does this relation have to be between two separate physical bodies? Is it possible that this interaction can take place within one individual? I believe that some people like the characters in Manic, have no control over their own will and thus it directly impacts their behavior. They don’t know how to deal with their own emotions, and their behavior is a direct indication of this.

Manic is a moving and emotional movie. It places you into the lives of these severely depressed individuals. It is not easy to understand the things severely depressed people go through. Life is a struggle, and being under a cloud of depression makes everyday even harder. I believe that more things need to be done to stop the abuse of kids, and eliminate the problem at the source.